“Perhaps.”
“No wonder he would not give you any information. Why should he? And have you forgotten how much influence he has with the emperor and the Fujiwaras? He could have helped you.”
Akitada was disgusted at the thought of being obligated to Genshin for any favors and said so.
Akiko heaved an impatient sigh. “Well, did you find out anything at all, or was it a wasted trip? And possibly a big mistake.”
Akitada snapped, “I will not, at my age, beg for favors from men like him. I ought not to have to beg in any case. It’s undignified.”
To his surprise, Akiko smiled. “Then you should act like it. Demand the recognition you deserve.”
“Yes, brother,” cried Toshikage. “Akiko has it right. Why should you kneel and bow and beg. They owe you. Listen to your sister. She’s brilliant, as always.”
Akiko gave her husband an impatient glance. “Akitada doesn’t listen to my advice. Never mind. Now tell me already what Genshin said.”
“He claims Lady Ogata was stranger to him, that someone told him of her homeless plight—she was living in a shack beside the Kamo River, he says—and that he offered her a home and a small amount of money from the temple.”
Akiko gasped. “She lived in a shack?”
“It may be a lie.”
“Oh, I don’t know. If she’s Masakane’s widow, it’s likely enough. I’m on my way to find out.”
“Wait. Masakane is dead?”
“Yes. They say he died in exile. Apparently it was an accident.”
This could explain why Genshin had believed Lady Ogata’s suicide. Akitada said, “But we cannot be certain it is the same woman, can we?”
Akiko got up as gracefully as she had sat down. “That is precisely why I’m on my way to pay a courtesy visit to Her Majesty.” She gave Akitada a triumphant smile.
“How did you wrangle that?”
Akiko gathered her train and headed for the door. “Oh, I have my ways,” she threw back over her shoulder and left.
Toshikage’s eyes were on the door as it closed behind his wife. “Isn’t she magnificent?” he breathed.
Akitada chuckled, then sobered quickly. Toshikage’s doting on his wife reminded him of his own loss. “Well,” he said. “I’d better be on my way also. I’ll look in on Kobe tomorrow to tell him what we’ve learned so far.”
*
Kobe greeted him eagerly and dismissed his staff. When they were alone, he asked with a searching look, “My dear Akitada, how are you? I’ve been expecting you.”
Akitada seated himself and brushed a hand over his face. “Since you ask, I don’t know how I am. I’ve put grieving aside to take care of urgent business and look some more into the death of Lady Ogata.” He was suddenly struck by something. “You’ve been expecting me? Why?”
Kobe looked uneasy. “I thought you’d come about Saburo.”
“Oh! Have you found him? Tora was out looking for him.”
“We’ve found both of them,” Kobe said heavily. “They are under arrest.”
In Akitada’s family this was not an unusual state of affairs. Both Tora and Saburo, singly or together, got caught from time to time in some questionable activities while they pursued investigations. He said therefore, “What have they done this time?”
“The charge is murder.”
Still not greatly disturbed, Akitada raised his brows. “Whom did they kill?”
“A man called Hankei. Apparently a crooked gambler. Saburo confronted him with using false dice, and the man ran. The next day, the warden sent constables to a house in the quarter where neighbors observed suspicious activities. They found Tora and Saburo trying to get rid of Hankei’s body.”
“Yesterday Tora returned home alone after their night of gambling—which they engaged in as part of an investigation into the murder of a moneylender. He told me they got separated. When Saburo didn’t return, I sent Tora to look for him. Neither would kill a smalltime gambler over a crooked game.”
Kobe nodded. “Probably not, but it looks bad for them.”
Akitada shook his head in disbelief. “Oh, come! What do they say?”
“That they found him already dead.”
“That’s it then. You’d better let them go.”
“I can’t.” Kobe shuffled about among the papers on his desk and handed Akitada a letter. It bore the seal of the Ministry of Justice and was signed by Senior Secretary Sakanoue. The text was short and to the point: “You are hereby advised that Sugawara Akitada is under investigation for various infractions and that any collaboration between the imperial police and Sugawara will force the government to institute a separate investigation of your office for improprieties in procedure.”
Akitada swallowed. He was deeply shocked by this news. It meant that Kobe was suspected of having perverted justice as a favor to him. For an awful moment, he wondered if Kobe’s political problems stemmed from this. Then he realized that the letter had not been signed by the minister, Fujiwara Kaneie. It must all be Sakanoue’s doing. The man feared for his job and wanted to make as much trouble as possible for him. But there might still be someone else behind this.
He returned the letter. “Kaneie didn’t sign,” he said.
Kobe nodded. “Who is this Sakanoue? He has your old position, doesn’t he?”
“Yes. I only met him briefly and didn’t like him, and not just because I have been supplanted by him. I take it this isn’t about Tora and Saburo?”
Kobe sighed. “I don’t know. If it is, I have spies about me. But it doesn’t really matter. You can see I cannot let them go.”
“Yes. We must endeavor to clear them before you release them.” He wanted to add that Tora had spent the night in question at home, but he did not know when the man had died, and Tora and Saburo had both gambled with him and had probably been seen running after him.
Kobe looked miserable. “I’m sorry, Akitada. There is another complication. They were involved in a murder case that is about to go to trial. I think someone is making very sure they don’t interfere again.”
Akitada sat up, suddenly alert. Could Genshin have taken this step to foil him and protect himself? “Which case?”
“A blind woman allegedly killed a man because he made sexual advances to her. Saburo has been looking into this, and Tora joined him. That’s why they were gambling. They suspected a man called Kanemoto of having had a hand in the murder. Kanemoto is a gangster chief. And Saburo claims Kanemoto killed the gambler.”
Akitada tried to take all this in. “Yes,” he said, “I knew something about it. I’d told Saburo to leave the matter alone. But it troubled him enough to disobey me. Tora offered his help. It makes me think the blind woman is indeed innocent.”
Kobe was grave. “Perhaps so, but the trial is tomorrow, and she’ll be found guilty. There’s nothing I can do about it. Later, when talk has died down, it may be possible to clear Tora and Saburo. It’s all happening at a very bad time. You should not become involved while you are under investigation. And I …” He let his voice trail off.
Akitada’s spirits sank. Kobe was right. He, too, was in trouble. Somehow his unauthorized return from Kyushu had affected all of them in this impossible situation. And the blind girl would die for it, because those who could help her were in no condition to do so.
He said quietly, “Yes, I understand. I’m very sorry that I should have made things worse for you. Don’t become involved any further. Tora and Saburo are my responsibility. If you think it won’t cause more trouble, I’d like to see them.”
“Of course.” Kobe gave him a searching look. “You’ll leave it alone, won’t you? Until some time has passed?”
Akitada smiled at him. “Don’t worry,” he said.
But he would not leave it alone. A man’s good name is forever, and honor demands that he protect his people and clear his reputation.
*
The conversation with Kobe set Akitada on a different path. The fact that his life had changed from bad to worse and now affected his people, his friends, and total strangers angered him so deeply that he decided to do everything in his power to clear the blind woman and then to find the killer of Lady Ogata.